New Ulm weekly review., 1887-04-13

Ics
She slips off the overcoat she is wear.
| ing and wraps it about him. She places
her hand on his heart, her face to his
face.
They find her there, and carry him
to her fathers house, and lay him
down on the warm hearthstone before
the blazing wood fire in Thereon where
yesternisht the spinning g-wheel stood,
and Mary smiled dreamily as she lis.
tened to it's hum.
The girl in her blue dress clingina
wet about her, kneels by his side. She
has torn the white handkerchief from
her throat to wipe the water from his
face. Her golden hair hangs struggling
and wet and stringy over her shoul.
ders. She bends over him and a bit
OF her hair touches his cheek. They
see her lips move, they cannot hear
her words
"John!' she whispers.
| t'Prlscilla!" he breathes.
Her father leads her away; he has
read her secret in the white cheek,
| which. forgot to blush, though all in
the room may read the beseeching OF
her eyes.
Heis safe. She lies down in her cham
Der with a deep prayer OF thankfulness.
She is too unstrung to sleep for many
| hours, and when at last she does, it
is to start up with a wild, gasping cry,
as she sees wave-Washcd body tossed
from billow to billow.
In the mo rning all meet at the break
| fast table, the minister looking we'll
and hearty as ever, and with some
thing :ibrating in his voice and glanc-
| ing in his eyes which had not been
there before. Mary, pale, and rather
proud-lookin5, with dark lines under
her eyes, but very lovely in her cardi-
nal morning dress, with plain linen
! collar and cuffs.
The captain is bluff and gruf and
| CHEEKY, trying by his talk to hide his
daughters silentness. Men have a
real, rare delicacy, as well as women.
! Three men are there also, from the
| wreck. Rachel stalks about grimly,
doing the honors of the table. while
| inwardly she is troubled at Mary's
| white face, and determines to dose
her with catnip tea and send her back
| to bed.
One OF the men tell the story OF the
wreck, and Mary is thankful that
thus she is saved from having to talk
to the minister. She cannot and will
not meet his eye, for if she does she
knows the tell-tale blood will leap to
her face. Outwardly she is pale and
calm and naughty.
After breakfast she escapes to the
kitchen, and meekly takes the catnip
tea rather than struggle with Rachel,
whose grim sternness and firmeness
she knows Of old; and she is curious
ly willing to slip off to bed. Not that
she meant to sleep but the minister
will be gone when she goes down staira
again.
She wakes up in tho middle OF the
afternoon from a refreshing sleep, to
find Rachel by the bed with deli
cious omelet and toast and tea.
Then she dresses and slips down in
to the little sitting-room; a. similar
room to the kitchen, only carpeted
and with crimson curtains for the
freight to fall upon. She knows the
men are all gone, for she hears her
father out in the yard plling up wood
in the shed, and the house is perfect
ly still, but for the quick stepping OF
Rachel across the kitchen floor.
So she stands secure before the fire,
with hands spread out to the blaze.
Again she is a picture in her close-fit-
ting brown dress, only relieved at
wrist and throat by white lace and
the group Of sweet-scented geranium
leaves she loves to wear; for back
ground the warm crimson of the dra-
peries. 49,.
The sun has dropped down beyond
the woods, and only the fre-hashes
light the room. What contrast and
comfort this evening to the storm
and terror OF last night! Her face
pales and she catches her breath.
Suddenly two hands drop on her
shoulders, and a masterful, happy
face is bent above her. She is turned,
gently, but firmly round, and IN her
surprise looks up in the minister's
face, and a teazing smile is there.
"Priscilla!" Oh, how the name
sounds from his lips! priscilla, am
John Alden. Now say your lines as
you did last night, and look in my
face and mean them for mel"
II will not, and I hate you, John
before she knows the word has slipped
out) Endicotte! I'll never, never,
never forgive your
But the touch OF those hands are
thrilling her through and through,
and she is not quite master of herself
why? You saved my life."
"You have humiliated me beyond
forgiveness"
"But YOU will forgiven"
His hand had slipped under her
chin, and her face lifted up so he can
read all it's meaning.
Haughtily she gathers up all her
energies to resist him; but she cannot
slip from those OBTAINING hands. Her
face is pale and desperate. Her lips
part.
'4You do forgive?'
Some strange vibration in the voice
did the words sound half-strangled
in the throat2- 2-makes her glance up
to a face unaturally calm. His, grasp
=